Sloane Stephens rallies to reach quarterfinals in Guadalajara

The Abierto Akron Zapopan welcomed another semifinalist late Friday night, as Sloane Stephens fought back from a set down to defeat Daria Saville in their quarterfinal encounter.

Stephens record a 4-6 6-3 6-2 victory over her Aussie opponent, who had eliminated reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the opening round. Saville displayed the heart and craftiness that saw her progress this far in the tournament, and forced errors from Stephens to run away with the first set.

However, the 2017 US Open champion regained her rhythm and dictated play for the rest of the match. Stephens moved Saville around the court, forcing errors and finishing short balls with her powerful groundstrokes. Additionally, she was aided by some poor serving from Saville, who hit nine double faults and won just 35% of points behind her second serve.

With the two and a half hour encounter behind her, Stephens will have little time to recuperate as she faces Russian Anna Kalinskaya for a spot in Sunday's final.